Doctor’s Rebirth

Chapter 14.2

CONTINUATION…

They arrived at a deserted open field.

Before unsheathing her sword, she gently patted Jin Cheon-hee’s head.

‘Ugh, it’s embarrassing. I’m so old, yet I have to act cute like this.”

Contrary to the feeling of wanting to bite his tongue and die from embarrassment, his rationality made him come to his senses.

“I might not fully understand what you’re saying, but if it makes you happy, I’m glad too.”

“Cheon-hee. This is adorable.”

She playfully pinched Jin Cheon-hee’s cheek once.

Seemingly content, she took the The Heaven-Breaking Sword from Jin Cheon-hee and moved towards the center of the field.

She drew her short sword and assumed a poised stance.

In a way, it was a very simple posture.

Just drawing the sword with one hand and aiming it at an opponent.

And her sword, which seemed like it would remain motionless for eternity, moved.

In an instant, the sword that had been curving and winding like a pine tree began to vanish from sight.

The Gongson family prioritized swiftness in their swordsmanship.

A person’s throat can be severed in just a half-strike. So, wouldn’t it be better if the strike was faster?

It was an idea that anyone could conceive, and there was someone who had risen to the title of the world’s best with that notion.

That was Gongson Cheongyeon of the Gongson family.

Her sword began to move rapidly, even more swiftly, slicing through the air.

The movement of her sword generated slashes resembling pine needles.

At that moment, Gongson Yeong’s expression slightly furrowed.

‘In techniques aiming for a swift sword strike, they usually use waves or wind as symbols. Why a pine tree, and why did the family’s founders liken it to a pine tree?’

It was a question not only she pondered, but many Gongson swordsmen had contemplated.

That’s why the present sword techniques of the Gongson family had undergone changes.

They had forsaken the pine tree symbol. Yet, remnants of it still lingered in every stroke of their swords.

Because it was their foundation.

Was it progress, or regression?

While the Gongson family had always held a high rank among the three families, they had never been discussed in the title of the World’s Best Swordsmen. The altered sword techniques served as both a cradle and a barrier.

Jin Cheon-hee witnessed the strokes she had created.

The strokes crafted by a Martial artist were a sight he had never witnessed in his lifetime.

Certainly, he didn’t conceive profound thoughts upon seeing them.

They simply appeared cool and impressive.

Her strokes came to an end.

An ordinary martial artist might have been in awe, but Jin Cheon-hee simply observed normally because he knew nothing about martial arts.

He hadn’t learnt anything, so it was only natural.

‘Oh, I can’t take my eyes off this. In novels, there are often expressions praising the beauty of swordsmanship, but seeing it in reality, is it really that different? By the way, I’ve never learnt swordsmanship, so even if I watch sword techniques, I won’t understand anything.’

Silently, Jin Cheon-hee murmured these thoughts to himself.

‘But still, there’s work to be done. Will it have an effect? In novels, characters gain insights even from simple conversations. Well, I’ll understand once I try.’

“Alright. How does it look?”

Gongson Yeong asked, lowering her hand holding the sword towards the ground.

Not a single drop of sweat was shed. Despite her young age, she was a genius who never broke a sweat.

Seeing her like that, Jin Cheon-hee grinned.

“Pine trees remain green all year round. And an old pine tree won’t break even in a storm. It stands with its roots deep, swaying its branches as the wind blows.”

‘The pinnacle of the Gongson family’s swordsmanship. The extreme application of Hobal Seonje, the counterattack from a later position.’

Hobal Seonje.

In contemporary terms, it could be called the ultimate countermove.

Every attack has its own initiative.

For linear combat, you follow a straight path, while for curvilinear combat, you adapt with changes.

Understanding that line is the first step. And digging into the enemy’s attack route, counterattacking in reverse is the second step. This is also closely related to the principle of Yunung Jegaeng (softness overcomes hardness). But Gongson family’s swordsmanship was different from that.

Their sword techniques were about delivering maximum counterattack with minimal force.

To understand why their ancestor, who was the greatest in his time, had consistently yielded step by step was crucial.

It wasn’t about submission to the stronger party.

It was because it was the most suitable sword technique for the Gongson family.

That’s why it was associated with pine trees.

The sword technique of pursuing swiftness yet embracing the paradox of minimal movement was at its extreme in Gongson’s style.

Of course, it was all theoretical, and Jin Cheon-hee well understood that achieving it wasn’t an easy task.

‘This path is a passage that Gongson Hyeon later realizes while recompiling the family’s secret manual… But what about Gongson Yeong, known as Gongson’s family Dragon? Gongson Hyeon discovered this passage quite late, questioning its significance, mentioning Hobal Seonje’s extremes and so on.’

“…!”

Gongson Yeong’s pupils enlarged.

‘Could it be? Seriously?’

Her grip on the sword weakened.

And her focus disappeared from her eyes; the sword began to move once more.

‘Whoa… This is amazing. Is this real?’

Her motion changed, like a pine tree swaying in the wind. Pine needles seemed to appear at the tip of the sword. But then, her sword began to slow down again. However, the faint sword Qi she had created began to extend and twist in all directions.

The dance of the sword continued.

A pine tree that could endure heavy snowfall and withstand a typhoon was in full bloom there.

Without any splendid flowers or beautiful changes, her sword began to cut through space, forming lines in the air.

Swiftness finally led to fruiton. And it didn’t end; it led back to a new beginning.

Amidst her trance, Gongson Yeong thought.

‘The Gongson Sword Conclusion was only written in a way that later generations could easily understand.’

She realized.

Her swordsmanship wasn’t just simply about chasing swiftness. She needed to understand why swiftness was important.